Student’s Corner: A Quick 15 Minutes

For as long as I can remember, in school, there have always been emergency drills. As a kid, it was just a quick 15 minutes I could get out of class, socialize, and goof off. For some that is still all it is. Over the past ten years our country has experienced the Columbine shooting, the Virginia Tech shooting and the Sandy Hook shooting. Although, shootings are not the only type of emergency nor the only one schools prepare for, but they are an example of why these drills are necessary.
The other day my school went through a drill to prepare for an intruder on campus. The drill was unexpected for students. We proceeded to turn the lights off, cover the windows and sit on the floor away from the doors. It was then I noticed that no one took it seriously. There were whispers, funny gestures, smiles and giggles all around. Although it didn’t bother me then, after truly thinking, “What if that was real?” I questioned how serious we should be about these things. I believe every drill should be taken as a life or death situation because you can never be certain if those quick 15 minutes are the last you’ll have.